Recombinant interferon beta and gamma in the treatment of adult T-cell leukemia

Abstract

Adult T-cell leukemia (ATL) is one of the most difficult diseases to treat because of severe underlying immune deficiency and metabolic disturbance. Interferon has potent antiviral, antiproliferative, and immunomodulating properties, and therefore, this may be a good agent to treat such immune deficient patients with peripheral T-cell leukemia. During a period from April 1984 to August 1985, six patients were treated with interferon-beta (IFN-beta), and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) was given to five patients. Three patients achieved partial remission by IFN-beta administration with a response duration of 1, 1.5, and 12 months respectively, whereas one complete remission and two partial responses were experienced by IFN-gamma treatment with 4, 4, and 2 months of response. Side effects of IFN-beta were similar to those of IFN-gamma including fever, chills, fatigue, mild hematologic depression, and transient hepatic enzyme abnormalities. These promising results warrant further well-designed clinical trials including combination with other agents or modalities of treatment.

The impact of interferon-alpha treatment on clinical and immunovirological aspects of HTLV-1-associated myelopathy in northeast of Iran

“…Previous studies have proved the efficacy of IFN-α in patients with adult T cell leukemia (ATL) (only in combination with zidovudine). This effect could be achieved through the enhancement of immunological recognition of HTLV-1 infected cells and the direct antiproliferative effects (Tamura et al, 1987). In the present study, we found that HTLV-1 proviral load and anti-HTLV-1 antibody levels were significantly decreased after IFN-α therapy, particularly in the responder subjects (p = 0.02, and p = 0.009, respectively).…”

Treatment of Adult T-Cell Leukemia–Lymphoma with a Combination of Interferon Alfa and Zidovudine

“…34,35 Interferon alfa has also occasionally induced therapeutic responses in patients with adult T-cell leukemia-lymphoma. [17][18][19][20][21] Its effect in this disease may therefore result from enhanced immunologic recognition of cells affected by adult T-cell leukemia-lymphoma, direct antiproliferative effects, and synergism with zidovudine. We conclude that zidovudine and interferon alfa are a highly active combination in patients with advanced adult T-cell leukemia-lymphoma, including those in whom multiagent chemotherapy has failed.…”

“…They produced complete remission in less than 10 percent, although occasional durable responses have been reported. [17][18][19][20][21] New treatments are thus needed for the acute and lymphomatous forms of this disease. Cells affected by adult T-cell leukemia-lymphoma express high levels of interleukin-2 receptor a , and treatment with monoclonal antibody to that receptor, alone or conjugated to yttrium, has yielded encouraging results.…”

Treatment of Adult T-Cell Leukemia-Lymphoma with Zidovudine and Interferon Alfa

“…The outcome of treatment of the acute and lymphomatous subtypes is disappointing. 7,8 Combination chemotherapy, 8 novel chemotherapeutic drugs, 8 the interferons, [9][10][11] and monoclonal antibodies against the interleukin-2 receptor 12 can all induce long-term disease-free survival in a few patients, but overall survival is only 50 percent at five months. 8,13 In contrast, the chronic and smoldering types of adult T-cell leukemia-lymphoma have a longer course, regardless of treatment, and aggressive chemotherapy may be more harmful than beneficial.…”